Before her senior year, Katie Holmes had never been to Nashville. When she arrived, a few weeks after graduation, she didn’t know anyone within a 100-mile radius. She had no job, no friends, no sense of what might come next.

You expect this story from an upstart musician looking to make it big—a starry-eyed teenager from small town America who arrives with nothing but a guitar. Outside of some shower singing, however, Holmes had never been much of a performer. She was a soft-spoken art history and psychology major. Instead of striving to become the next big thing, Holmes was hoping to find a role in the background.

Two weeks after her journey south, Holmes was offered a job as a project manager with a record label/marketing firm. She leapt at the offer and has not looked back.

Two years later, Holmes is at home in Nashville, working alongside some of her favorite artists and attending multiple concerts a week.

I caught up with Holmes to hear about her journey into the music world and to learn about the ups and downs associated with creating a life in a new city.